Stool having revolving seat



Nov. 7, 1950 c. J. ENGSTROM 2,528,949

STOOL HAVING REVOLVING SEAT Filed Sept. 13, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f7? M7z for Carl 1579s iw'om Nov. 7, 1950 c. J. ENGSTROM STOOL HAVING REVOLVING SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 15, 1945 Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to furniture construction and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a stool and par icularly to a revolving stool such, for example, as a bar stool, although certain phases of the invention are also applicable to other articles of furniture including so-called counter or pedestal stools, store stools, kitchen stools and the like.

; In the prior art bar and like stools which have embodied a rotatable or revolving seat, it has been common practice to rotatably mount the seat on the Supporting frame of the stool, and to interconnect the seat and the supporting frame by means of a single center swivel pin or bolt or the like. However, as such stools are subjected to severe usage and are frequently rocked on their supporting frames and tipped over, the swivel pin or bolt or like interconnection between the seat and the supporting frame tends to work loose and tends to become bent or to be sheared or to break off.

,Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stool or'like article of furniture embodying a novel but relatively simple and efficient construction for rotatably mounting the seat portion of the new stool upon the supporting frame or base thereof and in such amanner that the seat will rotate freely upon and relative to the supporting frame but will not become loose relative thereto or be disconnected therefrom as the stool is subjected to various stresses and strains in use.

. A further object of the invention is to provide a novel construction for interconnecting the supporting frame or base of the new stool and the anti-friction bearing assembly upon which the seat of the new stool is rotatably mounted.

Stillanother object of the invention is to provide a novel construction for detachably interconnecting the anti-friction bearing assembly of the new'stool and the seat cushion base embodied in the new stool.

Another object of the invention is to provide anovel, strong and sturdy interconnection between the cross pieces of the tubular metal legs of the supporting frame or base of the new stool and which interconnection between said cross pieces is effected without removing any of the tubular metal stock of said cross pieces or otherwise weakening said cross pieces at their point of intersection.

Other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show preferred embodiments of the invention andthe principles thereof and what I now consider to be the bestmode in which I have contemplated applying those principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a bar stool embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged central sectional view showing the construction of the seat of the new stool and the construction of the novel anti-friction bearing assembly for rotatably mounting the seat upon the supporting frame or base of the new stool. only a part of the supporting frame or base of the stool being shown;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan View of the top central portion of the connection between the cross pieces of the tubular metal legs which are embodied in the supporting frame of the stool shown in the drawings;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view on line 44 in Fig. 2 showing the construction of the annular plate or pan which forms the bottom wall of the seat and by means of which the seat is attached to the anti-friction bearing assembly;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view On line 5-5 in Fig. 2 illustrating the construction of the antifriction bearing assembly which is embodied in the new stool for rotatably mounting the seat thereof upon its supporting frame; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail view on line 6-6 in Fig. 5 illustrating the construction of the anti-friction bearing assembly for interconnecting the seat and the supporting frame of the new stool; this figure also illustrating the novel manner in which the anti-friction bearing assembly is connected to the supporting frame or base of the new stool,

A typical and preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the form of a bar stool embodying a revolving seat, is illustrated in the drawings, wherein it is generally indicated at [0, and comprises a supporting base or supporting frame, which is generally indicated at II, and a seat which is generally indicated at I2. The supporting base or frame ll of the new stool comprises a pair of tubular metal legs l3 which are formed of a single U-shaped piece of suitably plated tubular metal, the tubular legs I3 being interconnected at their upper ends by an interconnecting cross piece or bight portion M. The supporting frame or base I I of the new stool also includes a second pair of suitably plated tubular metal legs l5 which are interconnected at their upper ends by an interconnecting cross piece or bight portion Hi.

In order to interconnect the. cross pieces or bight portions M and I6 which interconnect the tubular legs 83 and I5, respectively, the tubular metal stock of which said cross pieces are formed is swaged out and flattened, as at IT, thereby providing cooperating recesses 66 in said cross pieces i4 and IE5 at the point where said cross pieces I4 and I6 intersect each other. Thus, the flattened and swaged out portion of the lower cross piece it extends up into the recess 66 provided in the upper cross piece I4 and the fiattened and swaged out portion of the upper cross piece I l lies within the recess 66 provided by the flattened and swaged out portion I! of the lower cross piece It. In this manner a strong and sturdy interconnection is effected between the cross pieces |4 and it of the tubular metal legs l3 and I5, respectively; without cutting out or removing any of the tubular metal stock in the cross pieces I4 and I6 and without forming any bolt holes in said cross pieces M and I6 at their points of intersection and which, if so formed, would weaken the cross pieces l4 and 16 at their points of intersection.

The interconnecting or cross pieces l4 and I6 which connect the tubular legs l3 and I5, respectively, are provided'with lower and upper aligned holes or openings Hand 42, respectively, in the metal stock thereof. The metal stock of those portions of the tubular cross pieces l4 and H5 in which the upper openings 42 are formed is depressed as at 43 around the marginal edges of the openings 32. The threaded stems 39 of so-called T-nuts project downwardly through these openings 42, the base flanges 38 of these T-nuts being welded, as by projection welding, to the lowermost plate or raceway 35 in the anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 20. Bolts 40 are insorted through the openings 4| in the lower walls of the tubular cross pieces l4 and I6 and are threaded into the threaded stems or shanks '39 of the T-nuts 3938, as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. There are preferably four of the bolts 40 and T-nuts 3833 providing the desired interconnection between the cross pieces l4 and H; of

the tubular legs I3 and I5, respectively, and the Thus it will be seen that the supporting baseor frame H is firmly but detachably attached to the anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 20, which will be described hereinafter, so that the tubular metal supporting frame may be detached from the anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 29 for repair or replacement if and when necessary. The supporting base or frame ll of the new bar stool is completed by an annular metal retaining member or bracing ring I'9 which encircles the tubular metal'legs l3 and I5 and which may be secured thereto by means of suitable fastening elements such as bolts or the like.

The seat l2 of the new bar stool I0 is of the revolving type, being rotatably mounted upon and secured to the supporting base or frame- II by means of an anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 23, which will be described hereinafter. The seat I2 is comprised, in general, of a seat cushion'ibase 2| which is mounted on the antifriction bearing unit or assembly 20 and an upholstered seat cushion 22 which is detachably mounted on the seat cushion base 2| of the seat |2,' all of which is discussed in greater detail in my'co-pending application, Serial No. 754,465, filed June 13, 1947.

The seat cushion base 2| of theseat- |2*insince it may be made in other shapes or forms,

depending upon the shape desired in the seat of the new stool. The annular metallic frame member 23 of the seat l2 has an inwardly extending horizontal annular flange 24 formed thereon at the bottom thereof and said annular frame member 23 also has an inwardly extending annular horizontal flange 25 formed thereon at the upper end thereof, Fig. 2, on which the seat cushion 22 is mounted as discussed in greater detail in my aforementioned co-pending application, Serial No. 754,465.

Also, the seat cushion base 2| of the seat embodies a steel bottom plate or pan 29 which is attached to the annular member 23 of the seat base 2| and to the anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 20 ina manner which will be described presently. m shown in Fig. 4, this bottom plate or pan 29 is provided with a radially arranged series of depressed reinforcing ribs 30 which are formed integrally therein and which extend radially outwardly from a depressed annular center portion or reinforcing ring 3| also formed integrally in the bottom plate 29 (Figs. 4 and 6). a

The depressed central portion 3| of the bottom wall or pan 29 of the seat 2| is attached in any suitable manner. as by spot welding, to an annular plate or disc 32 which is embodied in and forms the upper raceway of the anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 20. As shown in Figs. 2 and 6-, the upper raceway plate 32 has a marginal edge portion which extends convexly upwardly and projects above the upper surface of the body of the raceway plate 32 so as to provide the upe per wall of a ball bearing race which is embodied in the anti-friction bearing unitor assembly 20.

The lower wall of this ball bearing raoe'is pro vided by the marginal edge portion 34 of the lower raceway plate 35 which is embodied in the V anti-friction bearing unit or" assembly 20. As shown in Figs; 2 and 6, the marginal edge portion 34 of the lower raceway plate 35 extends upwardly around the marginal edge 33 of the upper racewayplate' 32' and terminates just below the lower surface of the base plate or pan2-9 of the seat l2. The anti-friction bearing unit or ;assembly 20 is completed by a row of antifriction elements in the form of ball bearings 36 which are mounted in openings or pockets 61' provided therefor in a pair of flat metal ball.

retainer plates or discs 31. These ball retainer plates or discs 3'! are arranged between the upper and lower plates 32 and 35, respectively, of

the anti-friction bearing unit or assembly 20 and the ball bearings 36 work in the raceway provided by the marginal edge portions 33 and 34 of theupper and. lower raceway plates 32 and 35, respectively.

The lower raceway plate 35 in the anti-friction bearing assembly or unit 20 is provided with an annular row of radially arranged openings 69 and each of the ball retainer plates or discs 37 is provided with a similar'annular row of radially arranged openings '58, the openings 68 and 69 being disposed inalignment or registry with each other to enable a welding tool or electrode to be inserted therethrough. so as to spot weld the uppermost raceway plate 32 to the depressed central portion 3| of. the bottom pan or plate 2 9 of the seat l2. g

In order to attach the base plate or bottom pan 29 and into: threaded engagement with the.

lower arms SS-of brackets 59 attached to the annular member 23, as discussed in greater detail in my aforementioned co-pending. application, Serial No. 754,465.

The seat cushion 22 is releasably secured in position on the upper flange 25 of the annular member 23 by suitable means such as bolts 6| extending through the top arms 60 on the brackets 59 into threaded engagement with brackets 63 carried by the seat cushion 22, as is also discussed in greater detail in my aforementioned co-pending application, Serial No. 754,465.

The various parts or units of the new bar-stool may be assembled and interconnected substantially as follows:

The base flanges 38 of the T-nuts 3839 may be welded or otherwise fastened to the lower raceway plate35 on the bottom side thereof. The anti-friction bearing assembly or unit 20 may then be assembled by arranging the two ball .retainer plates or discs 31, with the anti-friction elements or balls 36* disposed in the pockets 61 therein, between the upper and lower raceway plates 32 and 35, respectively, and then spinning or otherwise bendingthe marginal edge portion 34 of the lower raceway plate 35- around the preformed marginal edge portion 33 of the upper raceway plate 32, as by means of a suitable spinning or die-forming operation.

The anti-friction bearing assembly or unit 20 may then be mounted'upon the supporting base or frame II by arranging the flattened portion [1 of each of the cross pieces l4 and I5 of the tubular legs l3 and '|5,'-'respectively, in nested relationship with the recessed portion 66 of the other cross piece, as in Fig. 2, and with the threaded stems or shanks 39 of the T-nuts 38 39 projecting downwardly through the holes 42 in the cross pieces M and I6 of the 'tubular'metal legs l3 and I5, respectively. The bolts 40 may then be inserted through the openings 4| in the lower walls of the cross pieces l4 and |6 and then screwed into the internally threaded stems r shanks 39 of the T-nuts 3839 previously welded to the lower raceway plate 35 of the antifriction bearing assembly or unit 20. manner the anti-friction bearing assembly or unit 20 may be mounted upon and attached to the tubular metal supportingframe H of the new stool while, at the same time',=.;the tubular metal legs l3 and I and the cross pieces I4 and I6, respectively, thereof are firmly secured together.

The base plate or bottom'pan 29 of the seat |2 may then be attached to the anti-friction bearing assembly or unit 20 by arranging thecentral depressed portion 3| of the base plate or pan 29 over the upper surface'of the upper raceway plate 32 of the anti-friction bearing assembly 20 and then spot welding the upper raceway plate 32 0f the anti-friction bearing assembly 20 to the base plate or bottom pan 29 of the seat |2. This-may be accomplished by inserting a welding electrode through the registered openings 69-and 68 in the lower raceway plate 35 and in the ball retainer discs 31, respectively.

The combination reinforcing and attaching members 59 may be attached to the annular member 23 of the seat base 2|, and on the inner In this 3 surface of said annular member 23, bywelding the members 59 to the member 23.

Hence, it will be seen that the last operation involved in assembling the new stool is to mount the assembled seat cushion unit 22 and the base 2| of the seat l2 upon the base plate orbottom.

pan 29, it being understood that the depressed central portion 3| of the base plate or bottom. 29 has previously been spot welded to. the upper raceway plate 32 of the anti-friction bearing'i unit or assembly 20. This final operation of at-. taching the base plate or bottom pan 29 of the.

seat to the assembled seat cushion 22 and seat base 2| is accomplished by inserting the bolts 56 through the openings 55 in the base plate or bottom pan 29 and screwing them into threaded engagement with the arms '58 of the members 59.

When the seat I2 and the supporting frame or. base H of the new stool are assembled and in-. terconnected by the anti-friction bearing or as-. sembly unit 20, the seat [2 is free to rotate ."orrevolve readily upon the anti-friction .be'aring.

unit 20 or assembly relative to the supporting base or frame H and the tubular legs l3-and l9 which are embodied therein. At the same. time, a strong and sturdy interconnection is thus effected between the seat I2 and the supporting frame so that whenthe new stool is subjected to the shocks and stresses and strains to which bar and counter stools and the likeare subjected in use, as when rocked or tipped over or otherwise roughly handled, the interconnection thus afforded between the seat l2 and the supporting base effectively resists separationof the seat |2 from the'supporting base ||--or loosening of the seat I2 upon the supporting base II and thus overcomes one of the difficulties ex- Iperienced heretofore in the use of prior art bar stools. This arrangement likewise eliminates the concentration of the stresses and strains to which such stools are subjected upon a single intercon-= embodied in the new stool provide a novel inter-' connection between the seat and the supporting base so that the seat may readily be rotated orrevolved relative to its supporting base while being, at the same time, detachably attached thereto by-a strong and sturdy interconnectionwhich will effectively resist any tendency of the seat to be dislodged or brokenor to be loosened fromits supporting base if and when the stool is tilted.

or tipped over orotherwise subjected to theseverestresses and strains to which bar stools and other stools are subjected in use.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, that the present invention provides a new and. improved article of furniture in the form of a stool having the desirable ad-" 7*- Iclai'm: 1. An article of furniture comprising a sup porting base including two U-shaped' tubular leg members having bight portions intersecting in nested; relationship,.. said leg members having openings formed therein exteriorly of said intersection of said leg members, an anti-frictionbearing assembly mounted on'said' supportingbase above said'intersecting bight portions, said bearingasseinbly including an upper and a lower anti-friction bearing raceway plate, screw members extending through said openings formed in said tubularleg member and attaching saidlower raceway plate to said supporting base, and a seat mounted upon said'anti-friction bearing and rotatably supported. thereby on said supporting base;- said seat including a bottom member, having a depressed central portion attached to the central portion of said upper raceway plate, said mounted on said supporting base, saidbearing assembly comprising an upper bearing plate, a lower bearing plate and a plurality of bearing balls mounted between said plates, each of said bearing plates having annular-shaped raceways formednin the peripheral edge-portion thereof,- said racew'a'ys in said plates being complementary to each" other and being positioned in axial alignin' said raceways, the continuous peripheral edge portion ofone of said plates extending around and overlapping the peripheral edge portionof the other ofsaid' plates to thereby limit the out= ward movement of saidplates relative toeach other in any-direction, and a seat-member mountedon said upper bearing plate for support by said bearingassembly and said'supportnig base;

32.. An article-of furniture comprising a supporting base, an anti-friction bearingassembly mounted 'on said supporting base, said bearing assembly comprising a bottom bearing plate;1a-n

ment with each other, said ballsbeing positioned.

upper bearing plate rotatably, mounted relative tO.Sa|id. bottom plate, and: a plurality of bearing balls,- said plates beingpositioned" in alignment withleach other in parallel planes; the peripheral" edge portions of 'said pla'tes bein'godeformed out wardly. away from each other to affordconvex ana-i nular-shaped-surfaces on the outer faces thereof: andconcave annular-shaped racewayson the ad in saidraceways betweensaid plates, .the periph eraledge portion of one of' said plates extending: around the peripheral edge portion of the other; of said plates to thereby holdsaid two plates together, said bottom plate being attachedto said supporting base exteriorly of the center of saidbottom plate, and a seat member mounted on said' upper plate for rotation therewith relative to-said':

bottom plate andsaid supporting base; said-seat member having a portion attached tosaidaupper plate within theoutline of the deformedportio'ns on said upper plate, said portion of saidseatmemher. being complementary in shape tOithGDOIfiibIl of :said outer faceofr said upperplateiwithin the:

outline of'said deformed portions.

lie-An article". of furniture comprising a supportingbase', an anti-friction bearingv assembly: mountedfupon the said supporting base, and a seat mounted upon the said anti friction bearine jfacent. faces thereof; said balls being mounted assembly and including a bottom wall, the said; anti-friction bearing assemblyiincluding a top wall member permanently attached to said bottom wallqof said seat and including a bottom wall member detachablyattached to said supportingbase, said-top wall and said bottom wall of said antiefriction bearing assembly being ro-' tatable relative, to each other and being operatively connected together radially exteriorly of said attachment to said seat and said supporting base.

5. Anarticl'eof furniture comprising a su porting base, anranti-frictio'n' bearing assembly mounted upon said supporting base, and. awseat mounted upon said antidricti'on bearing assembly and including. a bottom wall-comprising a metal" plate having a depressed central portion, said anti-friction bearing assembly including an upper raceway plate welded to said depressed central portion of said bottom wall of said seat, a

lower raceway plate attached to said supporting. base, a pair' of antifriction bearing retainer discs arranged between said upper andcllower raceway plates, and a row of anti friction bearings'rotatably mounted in said retainer discs;

said upper raceway plate being rotatable rela tive to said lower raceway plate and including a downwardly extending marginal edge portion having' a convex curvature, on its upper side, said 3 lower raceway plate having an upwardly extend ing marginal edge portion extending partially around and over said downwardly extending marginal edge portion of said upper raceway plate on the; outer side thereof so as to secure said upper and lower raceway plates together and se-' cure said retainer discs and said anti-friction bearings between-said plates;

6. An article of furniture as: defined in claim 4 in which the said bottom wall of th'esaid seat;

supportingbase radially outwardly from the center of saidlower member. g N 7 ,CARL-J. ENGSTROM.

REFERENCES? CITED The renewing references are or record iii the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number F Name ,Date

477,113 Gruneberg Junem, 1892 826,9 7 Bedell July 24', 1906 1,198,367 M nger.; Sept, 12; 1916 1,337,059 Fisher Apr/1:3, 1920 1,5eg037 K ing Jan} 27, 1925' 1,626,832 Huckel 1 ;'Ma 3;119'27 1 906361 Hanson Apr; 25, 1933 1,908,709- Kronheim May 16, 1933 2,266,896: Nor'dma'rk Dec. 23, 1941 2349;766; Si-mjian May 23, 1944 2,364,516 Buck'staff Dec. 5; 1-944- FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 7 104,153 Australia June '3; 1938 157,892 Switzerland of'1932 217,183 Switzerland 'Jan.-16 1942' 

